Reflexively Chronically Tight Muscles Are Painful To Stretch
Normal muscles may have some pain but not to the same extent. I have always hated stretching my hamstrings and hips. I didnt mind stretching other muscles, but hamstring stretches were uncomfortably painful. At that time, I would have preferred running for miles than trying to stretch my hamstrings.
I grew to despise and avoid stretching my hamstrings because I hated the painful pull. The pull was not even at my hamstrings, it was in the back of my knee and into my calf more. What I believe now was happening was that the sciatic nerve was somehow being overstretched too by the unrelenting chronic contraction in my hamstring during stretching.
Sauna Bath And Steam Room
A hot bath or going to a steam room or a sauna to relax. These options operate by increasing the bodys temperature, which in turn increases your blood circulation.
With increased blood flow, all muscles in your body can receive more nutrients and more oxygen. Spending just 10 minutes in the water, steam room, or sauna will make the muscle wonders work. If you have an injury, make sure to add some ice after a workout before taking a hot bath. Its much easier to do some stretching exercises while in the water.
Iii Apply A Cold Pack
For the first 48-72 hours, carefully apply a cold pack to the area to reduce any inflammation present. Protect the skin from any risk of ice burn with a thin towel before applying the pack. Apply for 20 minutes and use every 1-2 hours as needed.
Caution:Not everyone benefits from a cold pack. If you find applying cold only numbs your pain while you are still stiff, then either reduce the length of time you apply it, or avoid cold treatment. Some people are more likely to feel even stiffer with cold treatment. The goal is to relax the muscle, not shock it.
I recommend that you go with what works for you. Personally, I prefer heat instead, but everyone has their own preferences.
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Causes And Diagnosis Of A Pulled Back Muscle
Trauma, stress, and tension may all cause strains and sprains. Some of the most common causes include:
- Falling, especially if you hit the ground hard or fall in an awkward position.
- Repetitive movements that stress and irritate the back muscles.
- Unsafe lifting, lifting while twisting, or lifting a very heavy object. Parents sometimes injure their backs throwing or playing with children.
- Excess weight that puts excess strain on back muscles. People who are overweight, people who suddenly gain weight, and pregnant women are more vulnerable to pulled muscles.
- A sedentary lifestyle. This may weaken the back, increasing the risk of injuries.
- Poor posture when sitting or bad form when doing athletic activities.
A medical professional may suspect a strain or sprain based on symptoms and your medical history. If another injury, such as a broken bone or herniated disc, is possible, the provider may do other tests, such as an x-ray or MRI scan.3
Your Brain Onthis Is Your Brain On Yoga
As a yoga instructor, I have a few favorite stretches for the hips and theyre not just my favorites because they feel good theyre extremely functional and work the hip from all angles. Frangiamore is also a fan of these yoga poses. Stretches like the pigeon pose, warrior 1 and groin stretches all work to lengthen muscles that attach around the hip joint , which become shortened after prolonged sitting or resting, he says. Lengthening these muscles can decrease tension and excessive pull on the hips and lower back which can improve posture and decrease associated pain.
Ready to get loose? Give these three stretches a try.
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Rolling Out Hamstring Woes
You might not need much persuasion to agree to a massage. But just in case one was needed, youll be pleased to know that foam rollers do just the job! Theyre great for getting your blood flowing, and fab for working out any tightness and tension. Better still, its not just your thighs that can benefit. If your lower legs are struggling, theyre the perfect treat for your calves too.
Foam rollers for lower leg TLC
What Do Your Hamstrings Do
This muscle-tendon tag team provides the movement for everyday activities such as walking, running, jumping, and climbing stairs. They enable:
- Knee flexion your hamstring muscles are the reason youre able to bend your knees. In addition, they allow the inward and outward movement of your lower legs, and help refine your speed and walking position.
- Hip extension your hamstrings assist in the straightening of your hips, and the backward movement of your thighs when you walk. They also serve to power you forward through running.
So sure, your glutes might steal most of the powerhouse glory. But without the aid of healthy hamstrings, youd find yourself in a spot of trouble. Squatting down, moving from seated to standing, and even staying upright, all rely on your hamstrings.
So its important to remember that in the same way that your joints sometimes need a little extra consideration, your soft tissues can need a spot of TLC too.
Which neatly leads us onto your next question.
Image credit: Alora Griffiths
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What Are Muscle Knots That Crunch With Massage
According to a massage therapist I spoke to, a muscle knot that feels like it crunches when you massage it is the muscle fascia slipping past the skin with enough friction to catch and release repeatedly.
How about you? whats the most effective muscle knots reliever you ever tried?
To your health and happiness,
Meital
Supine Abdominal Draw In Stretch
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Kneel on the floor in an all-fours position on your hands and knees.
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How To Loosen Tight Lower Back Muscles: Top 10 Stretches
In case youre wondering how regular stretching is helpful to loosen chronic tight back muscles, then the answer is quite simple.
Stretching allows vigorous circulation and transportation of nutrients and oxygen via your blood throughout your body.
So, now if youve got a feeling of very tight lower back muscles, hop on the mat and perform these 10 stretches right away.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes and doesnt substitute any professional or medical advice.
Pigeon pose is one excellent stretching move to loosen up the glutes and hips.
This pose stretches the deep hip rotator muscles that control hip stability.
Steps to Perform Pigeon Pose:
1: To begin with, start in a tabletop position with your knees directly below your hips and your hands a little over your shoulders.
2: Carefully slide your right knee forward and outside to your right wrist.
3: Place your right foot in front of your left knee while resting the outside of your right knee on the floor.
4: Slowly and carefully slide your left leg backward and straighten the knee. Meanwhile, lower the front of your left thigh and try to keep it as close as possible to the floor.
5: Lower the outside of your right buttock on the floor.
6: Place your right foot in front of your left hip and push with your fingertips on the floor.
7: Squaring your pelvis, try to roll your left hip joint in front of your right hell.
NOTE:
Avoid Rushing Into The 2 Most Common Mistakes For Treatment
MISTAKE #1. Do not to rush into basic strengthening exercises such as sit-ups, crunches or lower back extensions. This may help for some, but in most cases, these areas are already tight, short and strong. Tightness and overly strong muscle conditioning is usually the case with the lower back and hamstrings.
MISTAKE #2. Simply resting and returning to your daily whatever. Werent you doing this JUST BEFORE it happened? No, my friend. There needs to be a plan and you are here for actual solutions right?
Observe the degree of your pelvic tilt. The three common positions are neutral, anterior and posterior. An excessive angle can trigger another spasm.
Exercises such as sit-ups and crunches can help but should not be done first as they are considered as isolation type exercises. They do not condition the core muscle groups to protect you. If you are in need of some specific exercises, begin with these 10 exercises.
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How Do You Loosen Your Back Muscles 5 Stretching Exercises
Evolution has a lot to answer for in regards to the widespread problem of back pain. Going from a four-legged gait to standing upright was done a lot like the giraffes laryngeal nerve: poorly and with no clear oversight.
Between the curve of the spine and the width of the hips, humans are bound to face overly tight back muscles. So, how do you loosen your back muscles to prevent pain? The simple answer is stretching and the longer answer involves a few lifestyle changes to relieve tension and avoid repetitive motions.
Lower back pain is the most prevalent type with nearly 70% of adults between 35 and 55 experiencing it for at least a year. Upper back pain is the next most common and middle back pain is relatively uncommon.
Lifestyle changes will have to wait, for now, lets go over some stretches.
Stretching Tips For Tight Hamstrings
Slowly stretching your muscles will help you to improve and maintain hamstring flexibility. This, in turn, leaves your hamstrings less prone to that sudden, dreaded pop.
Before we show you a few easy stretches, well offer a quick pre-stretch safety tip:
As with any stretching programme, or any form of exercise, its important never to force a movement. It might be tempting to push through any resistance but your hamstrings wont thank you for it. Pain and resistance are our bodys way of saying hang on a sec. By ignoring those signals and pushing harder, you run the risk of causing further damage. So the first rule of stretching? Take it easy!
If youre completely new to a hamstring stretch, it can also be easier to start with a little bend in your knee. Go ahead, youre allowed!
Thats safety covered, so its on to the stretches themselves.
Stretches to loosen tight hamstrings include the following.
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Bird Dog Hip Extension
Why its beneficial:
The bird dog hip extension is designed to improve low back stability. It also helps to reactivate and stabilize your abdominal muscles during movement.
Try it:
Kneel on a mat with both hands down and arms shoulder-width apart.
Start by engaging and tightening your core muscles.
Slowly straighten one leg behind you while maintaining a flat back.
Return the straightened leg back to the starting position.
Repeat on the other side.
Perform 10 repetitions, while holding each for 20-30 seconds.
Modification: If this causes any discomfort, lift your leg only several inches off the ground rather than reaching full extension.
Lumbar Stretches: Are You Ready To Stretch
Now that you know about these lumbar stretches, its time to test them out. Before you know it, youll be experiencing less pain in your lower back. If you think you may need professional treatment or your lower back pain, make sure to get in touch with us today. Additionally, if youre experiencing neck pain, make sure to check out this guide to discover the causes and treatments of moderate to severe neck pain.
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Characteristics Of Reflexive Chronic Muscle Tightness
So how can you tell if you have this form of chronic muscle tightness? Below are some characteristics so you can determine if you might have this issue. Before we begin, were assuming that you dont have any injuries or nerve damage that causes your muscle spasticity. If you cant get more flexible and your muscles are still tight no matter how much you stretch, then see if this sounds like it could apply to you:
Loosen Up For Lower Scores: Golf Flexibility Exercises
We’ve all heard words and phrases like “flexibility,” “mobility,” and “range-of-motion” when golfers are discussing ways to improve their golf game. While all three of those concepts are slightly different in strict semantic terms, the gist of what they all mean is pretty much the same: the deeper and more fluidly you can move your body, the better you’ll probably be able to play golf.
Improving your range-of-motion around the many joints in your body will allow you to get a bigger takeaway, allow you to generate more hip rotation, and allow you to finish your swing with a deeper follow-through. Those are good things. These 2 golf flexibility exercises will let you play more smoothly with less pain and effort and improve your overall golf performance. And you can do them all in less than 15 minutes!
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Find Out Why Stretching Is So Important For People With Back Pain And Neck Pain And How To Stretch Correctly
During a bout of back pain, the last thing you might want to do is exercise. But for some people, it’s just what the doctor ordered. While we all know that regular exercise is important for our overall health, stretching is often an overlooked component of our routine. For people with back pain, stretching exercises are especially important because they can help reduce back pain and may even help prevent future episodes of pain or injury. Correct technique is essential. Read on to find out why stretching is so important for people with back pain and neck pain and how to stretch correctly.Stretching exercises are especially important because they can help reduce back pain and may even help prevent future episodes of pain or injury.Why Should I Stretch? The spine is a complex structure comprised of muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones. It’s designed to move side-to-side and front to back, as well as carry the bulk of the body’s weight. That’s why it’s so important to keep all its parts in good working order.
Regular stretching exercises help keep muscles and ligaments flexible. They can also reduce stress on joints and improve the flow of blood and nutrients throughout the body. Without it, stiffness, limitation of movement, and pain can occur or increase.
Good Stretching To get the maximum benefit from stretching, proper technique is essential. It’s also an important way to avoid injury. Keep the following stretching tips in mind:
Neck Stretch
Hamstring Stretch
Hip Twists
Great Stretching Exercises For Your Spine
Roughly 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives, and for most of them the pain will resolve on its own within a few weeks. For millions of people, however, back pain becomes chronic. In fact, back pain is the second most frequently reported medical complaint.
Board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomas Jones II and our team at The Spine Institute of Southeast Texas understand the impact of back pain on daily life. Simple activities that most take for granted can be a struggle. It can interfere with many areas of your life, from work to social activities. Seeking medical evaluation is the first step to getting relief.
Treatment for chronic back pain depends on the cause. Dr. Jones formulates a treatment plan for you after a comprehensive evaluation. Your treatments may involve steroid injections, physical therapy, pain-relieving medication, or surgical approaches.
Common causes of back pain include:
Stretching exercises for back pain can help keep your spine healthy and provide relief. While these stretches are safe for most people, its important to discuss it with your doctor first.
Here are five pain-relieving stretching exercises for your back.
Tips for stretching your spine
To stretch your spine effectively and reduce the chances of injury, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
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Ways To Loosen Very Tight Lower Back Muscles
Very tight lower back muscles is a fairly common health problem, partially because so many factors can cause it.
In certain cases, it can be a symptom of an underlying disorder, such as kidney stones or fibromyalgia. Other times, it is either a side effect of sedentary lifestyles or repeated movements.
If your lower back feels tense often, its important to listen to your body and take measures to relieve your pain.
A tight lower back can worsen and lead to more serious problems. It may also influence your day-to-day movements, such as bending down to pick up something from the floor.
Discomfort, spasms, and cramping can follow tightness in the lower back. The pain is always a continuous, dull pain, and your back can feel rigid, tight, and contracted.
You may also experience tightness in your pelvis, hips, and legs.
A tight lower back caused by over-strength exercises or heavy lifting can usually be felt within a few hours. Its natural to feel some tightness or pain after working out, but its usually going to go down in a couple of days.
The tightness can be more common if you do a workout that you dont usually do or not in the best shape.
As long as it rises and subsides within a reasonable time, there should be no cause for concern.
